Most Americans have assumed their bank accounts are sacrosanct. But with the major scandal unfolding at Wells Fargo, angry former employees illuminate the alarming pressure that allegedly led local bankers to defraud perhaps more than a million customers.

When F.B.I. director James Comey reopened the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s e-mails in the final days of the campaign, many saw it as a political move that cost Clinton the presidency. But some insiders suspect Comey had a more personal concern: his own legacy.

By 2015, C.E.O. Michael Pearson had built Valeant Pharmaceuticals into a nearly $90 billion colossus. Today, the company is under investigation for price gouging, and major Wall Street players are feeling the side effects.